New business owners these days are spoilt for choice when it comes to online LLC services.
But when you’re faced with a large selection to choose from, it can become more difficult to find the right one for your unique type of business.
You want to avoid those LLC services with limited experience and products that try to trick you into loads of unnecessary upsells.
And to help you do that, we’ve created this list of the best LLC service providers.
- ZenBusiness - the highly affordable option offering the extra services
- LegalZoom - providing you with the legal advice support
- IncFile - proven to be the nerve, time, and money-saving service
- Inc Authority - great choice for those on a tight budget
Our Top 4 Picks
1. ZenBusiness
Based on all of our research and reviews of customer feedback, the best LLC service for the majority of business owners would be ZenBusiness.
Their business formation service is one of the most straightforward, and even their basic package includes services that most other companies will charge extra for.
Let me show you what I mean.
First of all, the basic online LLC service package costs only $39 plus state fees. Now the state fees could range from about $50 to $500 depending on the state you’re planning to register in. But there is no way of avoiding that fee, and it will be the same for all companies.
What stands out the most is that ZenBusiness offers a free registered agent service for the first year.
After that, it’s a highly competitive $119 per year for a service that you have to source from somewhere.
You also get a free LLC operating agreement which state authorities will require as part of the registration process.
And to make sure that you set yourself up correctly from an accounting perspective, ZenBujsiness will review your company structure and industry to make recommendations for CPA requirements.
Overall, we think this is one of the best LLC services for anyone operating on a tight budget.
Pros:
- Free registered agent services for the first year
- Get a complimentary CPA assessment to set up your accounting needs correctly
- Business formation services include a free operating agreement
- Highly affordable packages for limited budgets
- Great feedback about the customer support during the formation process
- No additional legal support and services available
2. LegalZoom
If the legal advice services are an important decision factor for you, then LegalZoom is probably the best LLC formation service for you.
The company offers different types of business advisory plans from under $50 per month to give you access to a certain amount of contacts with lawyers.
It’s also a very recognized brand that can give new startups more credibility when it comes to setting up contracts with clients and vendors.
The other thing we noticed in many of the online reviews is that business owners like the fact that they can contact the support teams late into the evenings as well as on weekends.
When you’re busy trying to get your company off the ground, you don’t want to worry about whether you can get through to someone on the phone at times that suit you.
Even with all the upsells and advanced packages for organizations that have a regular stream of legal work as part of their normal business dealings, the total monthly fees would dwarf what you would pay to keep a legal firm on a retainer.
And that’s why so many people tend to choose them to get their business off the ground.
Pros:
- Substantial savings compared to retainers with legal firms
- Sign up for ongoing advisory plans to gain legal support from lawyers
- Highly recognized brand name to have behind a small startup company
- Positive reviews about the extended customer support hours for evenings and weekends
- LegalZoom doesn’t include registered agent services as part of their online LLC formation service
3. IncFile
The IncFile LLC formation service is another great value option that owners often choose when they have a limited budget to get their startup registered.
You don’t just get the business formation service to create the new legal entity, but also a full year of free registered agent service. That could be worth upwards of $150.
What IncFile can also help with is to let you know when you’re coming up to important local, state, and federal filing deadlines so that you avoid risking penalties and late fees.
And you can also hire IncFile on an ongoing basis to take care of all those filings and compliance reports for a very competitive price.
Customers have reported that this saves them a lot of worries, time, effort, and money, knowing that these important legal matters are taken care of.
You can also use IncFile to register trademarks that may help protect your business, services, and products. It’s not a full legal support service but provides plenty of additional benefits that will help most types of businesses.
Pros:
- Registered agent services included for the first year
- Excellent feedback about the customer support
- Receive alerts for important filing deadlines on an ongoing basis
- Also offers state and federal filing services as well as compliance reports
- No legal advice or services available
4. Inc Authority
The final one of our recommendations is Inc Authority, and it’s a great option if you want to get up and running for the absolute minimum cost.
The entry-level package is free, and you only have to pay the state fees, which range from $50 to $500.
The company has also partnered with Bank of America to offer a cash bonus for setting up a checking account. And you can also get a bonus for using one of their affiliated payroll and point of sale providers. What surprised us the most is that IncAuthority offers registered agent service for free, even in their free packages. So you could have the most basic filing needs taken care of and be up and running without spending more than the state fees.
And after the first year, you’ll only pay $99 a year for the registered agent service, which is possibly one of the lowest rates we found.
For the absolute shoestring approach to starting a business, this could be the best option both for the first and subsequent years.
Pros:
- Offers a free basic package for only the essential filing support
- Partnered with Bank of America to help with your business bank accounts
- Free registered agent service even in the free package
- Bonuses available for payroll and point of sale partners
- Make sure you pick the right paid package as there are no refunds for mistakes
Choosing The Right LLC Formation Service For Your Business
Here are the four main things to consider before you make the final choice.
1. Budget
Yes, the cost of the LLC formation services is important, but it should not be the only thing you focus on.
With that said, many startup LLCs will be working on extremely tight budgets, and they simply cannot afford to spend on all the bells and whistles that LLC formation services offer through upsells.
But before you pick the cheapest company, make sure you compare the costs for the first and later years. Business formation services regularly offer incentives like a free operating agreement and registered agent service in the first year.
What they charge in the next year can be very different, and it wouldn’t be uncommon to see differences in the hundreds of dollars.
2. Legal Support
Depending on what industry you’re planning to operate in, you may need more than just an LLC formation service.
Yes, you need to create the new legal entity first before you can start offering services under it. But you also need to consider what you’ll need on an ongoing basis.
For example, a realtor will likely have to exchange legal contracts with buyers, sellers, and other vendors on a regular basis.
Or you might regularly hire new and different employees or contractors that require employment contracts.
If that’s the case, then pick one of the LLC formation services that also offer legal advice packages.
3. Turn Around Time
LLC formation services also give different turnaround times.
It’s not that they can influence the various state agencies to speed things up for you. That part works on a first-in, first-out basis.
But for extra fees, they will bump your application to the top of their queue, which could end up saving you 10 to 20 days.
If you already have new clients or vendors lined up for work, then you don't want to waste more time than you have to.
4. Add-On Services
And finally, you want to check for any additional services like federal and state filing or drafting compliance reports.
Or maybe you need help with getting a business bank account set up and finding the right CPA or payroll system.
These can all add up if you hire separate companies, and getting it all packaged with one online business formation service can end up saving you a load of money.
Have You Made Your Choice From The Best LLC Service Recommendations?
All of the above LLC services will get your business off the ground in a matter of weeks.
The main question is going to be how much your budget will allow you to spend and what level of legal support you might need on an ongoing basis.
For most people, the ZenBusiness LLC services will be the best fit to get you up and running quickly.
Register today and see how much time and effort these LLC services can save you.
TRY ZenBusiness TODAY (CLICK HERE)
